Device for separating potatoes from floatable foreign matter



1 643 596 Sept. 27,1927. R C' ZUCKERMAN DEVICE FOR SEPARATING POTATOES'FROM FLOATABLE FOREIGN MATTER Filed Nov 1, 192s IN V EN TOR. R. C. Zu ckerman BY@ um A TTORNEY Patented Sept. 27, 192;?.

narranA STATES FFICE.

BOSCOE C. ZU'CKERMAI', 0F STOCKTON, CALIFORNIA.

Application filed November l, 1926.y Serial No. 145,450.

. This invention relates to improvements in potato washing devices, and particularly to yone to be` used iii connection with a potato Acleaner of the type shown in my co-pending applicationfor patent, Serial No. 87,223, led Februaryv th, 1926. Both machines Ware particularly intended to handle potat grown in peat land, the

lumps of which are floatable` and a certain number of which become unavoidably mixed with the potatoes as the latter are dug, and must of course be separatedfrom the potatoesbefore the latter are sacked.`

The ,previous machine was originally intended not only to cause the lumps to be separated from the potatoes, but also to scrub and wash the potatoes free of any dirt which might be caked thereon. l found from experience however that in order to properly permit the lumps of peat to float out of thetank with'the overflow of. the water, such water had to be maintained at a very high level so that the revolving drum in which .the potatoes were scrubbed was almost completely submerged. llie result was that due to .the relatively low specific gravity of the potatoes the latter tended to vtloat also While in the revolving drum and v did not become properly scoured.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a pre-cleaning apparatus especially intended to initially handle the potatoes before they are passed to the washing and scouring tank, and kin vwhich means is provided for enabling the floating lumps to be positively separated from the v potatoes and to be impelled toward the overflow, so that when the potatoes are delivered to said washing tank they are free of such lum s and the water in said tank and revolving drum may be maintained at a level suiciently low to enable the washing and scouring operations to be efciently and completely carried out.

A further object' of the invention is to provide means for causing the potatoes and lumps of dirt to be delivered into the separating tank? over practically thel entire length thereof instead of at a single point in such length, as` was the case with the previous machine. This eliminates the possibility of` a heavy potato resting on top of a piece of dirt, carrying the same down, and preventing such dirt from floating and being carried away.

Another Objectis to vprovide means for causing the floating lumps to be positively conveyed to the overflow independent of the current of the water tending to move the lumps in that direction.

A further object of the invention is to produce a .simple and inexpensive device and yet one which will be exceedingly edective forA the purpose for which it is' designed.

These objects l accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claims.

ln the drawings similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views:

p Fig. l lis a sectional elevation of my iinproved separating device.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary top plan view of the same.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawings, the numeral l. denotes a rectangular tank of suitable dimensions whose front end wall 2 is lower than the remainder, so as to form an overiow, said wall being provided with a vertically adjustable control gate 3 at the top. The tank has a Water intake pipe 4 at the rear end thereof adjacent the bottom, the water normally flowing from this pipe toward and over the gate 3 into a drain chute 5 arranged in connection with the tank at the forward end thereof. To cause the water .to be normally deiected upwardly from the intake pipe l mount a perforated bailie plate 6 at the rear end of the tank. 'lhls plate has a downward and forward slope from the rear end of the wall of the tank above the pipe 4, and is hinged along its upper end. Upon turning this plate on sediment or the like which may have collected in the bottom of the tank.

Positioned in longitudinal alinement with' the tank ak certain distance ahead of its forward end is av hopper 8 finto :which the llO potatoes and any lumps of dirt which may be ,mixed therewith are dumped. To lift theipotatoes and dirt from the hopper and deliver them to the tank 1 provide a conveyor structure consisting of endless and transversely spaced chains 9 with transverse and longitudinally spaced slats 10 extending between the chains at intervals. This con'- veyor, which is preferably continuous from end to end, comprises an upwardly sloping portion A extending from the hopper to a point a short distance above the end wall 2 and a horizontal portion B extending from said end wall toward the rear end of the tank. The chains of course are mounted at Itheir ends on suitable sprocket wheels 11 and -,.-.Cut therein extending` from the sides of the plate at its rear end (under the rear end `ofthe conveyor B) toward the opposite end of said conveyor, the apex of said opening being preferably disposed centrally of the width ofthe conveyor. The result of this construction is that as the potatoes and dirt raised from the hopper by the conveyor move onto the plate under the conveyor B and over the gradually widening opening in said plate, they will drop from between the conveying slats a few at a time into the tank below, since the number of potatoes which can drop at any one point in the length of the conveyor is of course governed by the width of the opening at such point. This causes the discharge of the potatoes and dirt'llumps into the tank to be spread over a considerable ortion of the length of the tank, as will be vident.

Disposed in the tank is a discharge conveyor which includes a horizontal portion C under the conveyor B, and an upwardly sloping portion D leading from the rear end of the portion C to the rear end of the tank at the top thereof. At its upper end said conveyor discharges onto an apron 16. by means of which the potatoes are fed into the scouring and washing a paratus such asv that shown in the co-pen ing application hereinbefore mentioned. This discharge conveyor,- like the feed conveyor, comprises endless chains 17 mounted on suitable sprocket wheels 18 and transverse and longitudinally spaced slats 19 extending` between the chains at intervals, the upper runs of both portions of this conveyor having Suitable iiooring 20 thereunder. This con- 'and rear end of the tank. The lumps Leashes veyor is driven from its upper sprocket wheels 18 so that its upper run moves toward the rear end of the tank.

-in operation a constantly changing flow of water is maintained in the tank to a level such that the slats. 10 on the lower run of the conveyor B are partly immersed in the water. The relative setting of the'slats in the water may be maintained in various ways, as by altering the volume of water entering the tank through the pipe 4; raising or lowering the gate 3 so as to alter the relative volume of the ov-erfiow; or by raising or lowering the conveyor B. By reason of the above described features of construction as the dirt andpotatoes are fed onto the plate 14 and drop through the opening l5 into the tank, the potatoes continue down wardly until they rest on the lower conveyor, by which they are raised to the top of dirt however floating on the wat-er are caught by the slats on the lower run of the constantly travelling conveyor B (which lower run is moving toward the forward end of the tank as is the water.) and are positive! ly impelled toward the overflow and thence of course into the drain. The opening 15 in the floor plate is so disposed relative to the rear end of the conveyor B that all matter carried by said conveyor will lhave been discharged into the tank before the rear end of the conveyor is reached. This prevents the possibility of any lumps of dirt possibl` being caught and raised ont of the water y the conveyor D, which of course must project above the adjacent end of the conveyor B.

To prevent the possibility of any potatoes from dropping onto the floor of the tank between the front end wall 2 and the adjacent end of the conveyor C, a sloping deflector plate `21 extends transversely in the tank above the conveyor and projects from the end wall 2 to a termination overhanging the adjacent end of the conveyor C.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that I have produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by theI appended claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and `useful and desire to secure by. Let-ters Patent is 1. A device for separating potatoes from floatable foreign matter comprisin a tank to contain a liquid, an overflow for t e liquid at one end of the tank, and a common means for feeding potatoes and foreign matter 4initially'mixed therewith into the tank and lOl) for positively moving such matter vtoward' the overflowwhile allowing the potatoes to drop through the liquid clear of said matter.

2. A device for separating potatoes from floatable foreign matter comprising a tank to contain a liquid, an overflow for the liquid at one end of the tank, a common'means for feeding potatoes and foreign matter initially mixed therewith into the tank and for positively moving such matter toward the overflow while allowing the potatoes to drop through the liquid clear of said matter, and

v a conveyor for raising the .potatoes from the gether with any oatableforeign matter,

liquid and onto which said potatoes are received after dropping through the liquid.

3. A device for separating potatoes from oatable foreign matter comprising a tank to contain a liquid, an overflow for the liquid at one end of the tank, and a horizontal driven conveyor in the top of the tank; said conveyorincluding endless members forming upper and lower runs, and transverse slatsA mounted thereon, said conveyor being adapted to carry a supply of potatoes, tod

an deposit them in the tank; the slats on the lower run of the conveyor depending below the level of the liquid and moving toward the overflow.

4. A device for separating potatoes from floatable foreign matter comprising a tank to contain a liquid, a conveyor to carry potatoes and any floatable foreign matter mixed therewith to the tank, said conveyor extend ing lengthwise of the tank above the level of the liquid therein, and means arranged in connection with the conveyor for causing the discharge of the potatoes and foreign matter therewith'from the conveyor into the tank to be distributed over a considerable portion of the length of the tank.

5. A device for separating potatoes from floatable foreign matter comprising a tank to contain a liquid, a conveyor to carry potatoes and any floatable foreign matter mixed ltherewithto the tank, said conveyor extending lengthwise of the tank above the level of, the liquid therein, and including transversely spaced members with slats extending therebetween at intervals, and a xed floordiagonally from one end and side thereof toward the opposite end and side.

6. A device for separating potatoes from floatable foreign matter comprising a tank to contain a liquid, a conveyor to'carry potatoes and any ioatable foreign matter mixed therewith over the tank above the level of the liquid from one end of the tank toward the other, said conveyor including transversely spaced members with slats extending therebetween' at intervals, and a fixed oor under the slats having a V-shaped opening therethrough extending lengthwise therein from the sides of the floor at the end thereof toward which ther conveyor is adapted to trave 7. A device for separating potatoes fromA floatable foreign matter comprising a tank to contain a liquid, an overflow for the liquid at one end of the tank, means for discharging potatoes and foreign matter therewith into the top of the tank, a water intake member at the end of the tank opposite to the overflow, a normally closed gate in the overiiow end of the tank adjacent the bottom thereof, and means for deiiecting the flow of water from the intake member to cause such flow to take place diagonally in the direction of the overflow or horizontally toward the gate. Y

8. A device as in claim 7, such latter means comprising a perforated bae plate hinged above the water intake and extending diagonally across the same in the direction of the gate. y

9. Adevice for separating ioatable from sinkable matter comprising a tank to contain a liquid, a liquid inlet into the tank, an overflow gate in the tank, and a slotted conveyor to carry the mixed material into the tank, theA return runs of the conveyor being adapted to ride the top of the liquid in the 'tank in the direction of and over the over- 

